A Closer Look at the N2NW Priority for AARP

By Phil Zarlengo, AARP Volunteer Transitions alumni coordinator and former AARP Board chair*

Our community is where we can be the most effective.  Those are the words of AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus and her vision continues to influence AARP today.  A priority initiative in 2018 is shifting the perception of AARP as a national entity to being seen as a nationwide organization (a.k.a. N2NW.)

Volunteers and staff colleagues have been working to offer a practical sense of what this shift looks like and how it impacts AARP’s work.  The organization is focused on creating a collaborative on-going approach to its work that leverages the power of both state AND national expertise.  This is an exciting development.  I believe AARP will be better poised to develop and deliver programs and experiences that reflect the needs and concerns of local audiences while we continue to grow our powerful state and federal advocacy efforts.

As long-time volunteers, we have seen an evolution in the way AARP carries out its social mission work.  It is gratifying to see the priority that AARP is placing on having a sustained community presence – particularly with the development of volunteer-led teams that will ensure that AARP develops roots within a community.  This work is supported by a convergence of efforts and resources from the Office of Volunteer Engagement, the Livable Communities team and the Office of Community Engagement.  Further, AARP’s Disrupt Aging message is causing people of all ages to give the organization a fresh look.

I suspect that, like me, you are continuing to let people in your community know about AARP’s wide range of resources.  Our voices are an important component of AARP’s work and I hope you will visit the Volunteer Portal to learn more about AARP’s national to nationwide efforts.

*Phil also served previously as the AARP Rhode Island State President and continues today as a member of  AARP RI’s Executive Council and State Legislative Committee.